Mark Rylance: Sylvester Stallone deserved to win

The 56-year-old British thespian scooped the prize for his portrayal of Soviet intelligence officer Rudolf Abel in Steven Spielberg's historical thriller but was shocked when his name was called at the ceremony in Los Angeles on Sunday night (28.02.16), because he expected his 69-year-old competitor to take home the trophy after he reprised his most famous character, Rocky, in 'Creed'.

Asked whether he had heard Stallone was tipped to win, Rylance confessed he had not only heard, but had believed the actor had "every reason" to win.

He said: "I'd heard the same thing. And Sylvester has had a long long career as an actor. Doing thrillers and dramas and things like that, which have given people an enormous amount of pleasure.

"So I was seeing absolutely every reason why he should be celebrated for this incredible Rocky character that he made, back when I was a teenager ... It's a good thing I learned how to box recently."

Despite his shock, Mark - who starred in the film opposite Tom Hanks - was thrilled to win, though he confessed he would have hated to be the judge of so many "wonderful" performances across Hollywood in 2015.

Speaking to the BBC on the red carpet after the ceremony, he mused: "I know also from the Golden Globes, the Baftas, so many actors, have given wonderful performances this year. I don't know how you judge that one is best or better, it's not a sport, it's a craft or an art form."